Castlemaine railway station

Castlemaine
Southbound view of the station buildings and platforms, July 2025
General information
LocationKennedy Street,
Castlemaine, Victoria 3450
Shire of Mount Alexander
Australia
Coordinates37°03′47″S 144°12′51″E / 37.0630°S 144.2141°E / -37.0630; 144.2141
SystemPTV regional rail and VGR heritage rail station
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byV/Line
Lines
Distance125.48 kilometres from
Southern Cross
Platforms3 (1 island, 1 side)
Tracks3
Train operators
Connections Bus
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusOperational, staffed
Station codeCME
Fare zoneMyki Zone 9/10 overlap
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened21 October 1862 (1862-10-21)
Services
Preceding station V/Line Following station
Malmsbury Bendigo line Kangaroo Flat
towards Bendigo, Epsom or Eaglehawk
Echuca line Kangaroo Flat
towards Echuca
Malmsbury
One-way operation
Swan Hill line
1 weekday & 1 weekend service
Kangaroo Flat
towards Swan Hill
Kyneton Swan Hill line
Preceding station   Heritage railways Following station
Muckleford
towards Maldon
  Victorian Goldfields Railway   Terminus
Former services
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Chewton   Deniliquin line   Harcourt
Muckleford
towards Maldon
  Maldon line   Terminus
Campbell
towards Maryborough
  Moolort line   Terminus
Official nameCastlemaine Railway Precinct (Murray Valley Railway, Melbourne to Echuca)
Designated20 August 1982
Reference no.H1664[1]
Location
Castlemaine
Location within Victoria

Castlemaine railway station is a regional railway station on the Deniliquin line, part of the Victorian railway network. It serves the north-western suburb and town of Castlemaine, in Victoria, Australia. Castlemaine station is a ground level staffed station, featuring two side platforms. It opened on 21 October 1862.[2][3]

The station is the terminus of the Victorian Goldfields Railway heritage services on the Maldon line. It used to be the terminus of the cross-country Castlemaine-Maryborough railway, but the section from Castlemaine to Moolort was closed in 2004, and the remaining section to Maryborough was closed in 2011.

Disused stations at Elphinstone and Taradale are located between Castlemaine and Malmsbury, while disused stations Harcourt and Ravenswood are located between Castlemaine and Kangaroo Flat. Chewton station, between Castlemaine and Malmsbury, has been demolished.

History

In 1973, the turntable at the station was abolished.[2][3] On 9 July 1977, the passenger service to Maryborough was withdrawn.[3] In 1978, a number of points were abolished, as was a crossover and the former carriage dock.[2][3]

Rationalisation of the former yard occurred during the late 1980s.[4] In 1989, signal boxes "A" and "B" were abolished, and replaced with a signal panel within the station office.[2][3][5] Mechanical points were also abolished, and all signals were replaced with two and three position signals.[2][3] Also in that year, boom barriers replaced interlocked gates at the Parker Street level crossing, located nearby in the down direction from the station.[2][3]

On 17 December 2004, the extension of the Victorian Goldfields Railway from Muckleford to Castlemaine was opened.[3] On 17 January 2005, the signal panel was abolished.[5]

Platforms and services

Castlemaine has one island platform with two faces (Platforms 2 and 3) and one side platform (Platform 1). Platforms 1 and 2 are used by V/Line Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill line services in both directions,[6][7] while Platform 3 is used by Victorian Goldfields Railway heritage services to Maldon.[8]

Castlemaine platform arrangement
Platform Line Destination Notes
1  Bendigo line 
 Echuca line 
 Swan Hill line 
Southern Cross, Bendigo, Epsom, Eaglehawk, Echuca, Swan Hill
2  Bendigo line 
 Echuca line 
 Swan Hill line 
Southern Cross, Bendigo, Epsom, Eaglehawk, Echuca, Swan Hill
3  Maldon line  Maldon Victorian Goldfields Railway - heritage railway

Castlemaine Bus Lines operates five routes via Castlemaine station, under contract to Public Transport Victoria:

  •  1 : CastlemaineCampbells Creek[9]
  •  2 : Castlemaine Town Loop[10]
  •  4 : to Maldon[11]
  •  5 : to Taradale[12]
  •  6 : to Chewton[13]

References

  1. ^ "Castlemaine Railway Precinct (Murray Valley Rlwy, Melbourne to Echuca)". Victorian Heritage Database. Government of Victoria. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Castlemaine Vicsig
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Castlemaine VR History
  4. ^ "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). March 1988. p. 89.
  5. ^ a b Castlemaine Signal Box (CME) Vicsig
  6. ^ Bendigo - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
  7. ^ Swan Hill - Melbourne timetable Public Transport Victoria
  8. ^ Timetable Victorian Goldfields Railway
  9. ^ 1 Castlemaine - Campbells Creek Public Transport Victoria
  10. ^ 2 Castlemaine Town Loop Public Transport Victoria
  11. ^ 4 Castlemaine - Maldon Public Transport Victoria
  12. ^ 5 Castlemaine - Taradale via Chewton Public Transport Victoria
  13. ^ 6 Castlemaine - Chewton via Loddon Prison Public Transport Victoria
  • Media related to Castlemaine railway station, Victoria at Wikimedia Commons
  • Victorian Railway Stations gallery
  • Castlemaine and Maldon Junction Victorian Station Histories
  • Melway map at street-directory.com.au